2019 No. 1 Pick Kyler Murray, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Flacco Among Those Ranked #23-32 in the Simms Top 40 QB Countdown This Week
“He’s Barry Sanders at quarterback...he can be the kind of guy that if we do another list in Week 16, he could be in the Top 10 because he has that kind of talent.” – Simms on No. 1 Draft Pick Kyler Murray of Arizona Cardinals
Top Two QBs to be Revealed on Thursday, June 27
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 6, 2019 – Chris Simms continues to unveil his list of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL on a pair of NBC Sports’ platforms -- the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live” – this week, with the QBs ranked 23-32.
“As you start making these lists, you start to go, ‘There are a lot of good quarterbacks in football.’” Simms said. “You start to get to 20-32 and go, ‘It’s really close, they’re good and there’s a lot of good things about them.’ You can win Super Bowls with these guys if you put the right team around them.”
Simms began his ranking of the top 40 NFL quarterbacks last week with numbers 33-40, and will announce his top two quarterbacks in the league on Thursday, June 27.
Among this week’s rankings is 2019 No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals at No. 24. “The athletic attributes and the skill set that he has,” Simms said. “The reason he was drafted number one is because there have just not been a lot of people in the history of the NFL that have come in with what he can do on the field. He’s Barry Sanders at quarterback.”
Simms’ selections for the quarterbacks ranked 23-40 in the NFL:
| 23. | Josh Allen, Buffalo | 32. | Josh Rosen, Miami |
| 24. | Kyler Murray, Arizona | 33. | Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee |
| 25. | Joe Flacco, Denver | 34. | Eli Manning, New York Giants |
| 26. | Andy Dalton, Cincinnati | 35. | Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami |
| 27. | Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay | 36. | Robert Griffin III, Baltimore |
| 28. | Case Keenum, Washington | 37. | Drew Lock, Denver |
| 29. | Marcus Mariota, Tennessee | 38. | Dwayne Haskins, Washington |
| 30. | Lamar Jackson, Baltimore | 39. | Colt McCoy, Washington |
| 31. | Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis | 40. | Tyrod Taylor, Los Angeles Chargers |
The rankings will continue next week with numbers 22 and 21 on “PFT Live” beginning Tuesday, June 11.
The following are highlights from this week’s editions of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
No. 32: Josh Rosen, Miami Dolphins
Simms: “Josh Rosen is a tough evaluation because the team around him stunk last year. We’re talking about a really pure thrower of the football…One of the positives I had that I wasn’t sure about coming out of the draft was movement…A lot like a Tom Brady, his movement in the pocket was very impressive last year and especially with one of the worst offensive lines in football, if not the worst, in front of him. I do expect him to become the starting quarterback with the Miami Dolphins.”
No. 31: Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts
Simms: “One of the best backups in football…He’s a fringe starter. I think he has a lot of starting quarterback traits… The Colts are smart to have that type of backup…They’re a Super Bowl caliber team with Andrew Luck. If he got hurt, maybe that hurts their chances, but they’re still going to be a pain in the butt because Jacoby Brissett’s a good player. Still a playoff team and if he got hot the right way, maybe he can do a Nick Foles-type of thing. I do think there will be a market for him next year.”
No. 30: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Simms: “There’s of course the athleticism I love. Some of the throws I love. He shows the potential to be a special passer at times. The one thing I love about him is he can just flick his wrist and throw it 45, 50 yards. It’s just effortless. Yet, there’s lots of inconsistencies in his technique and his throwing off of that…To consistently ask him to carry the ball 20 times a game, that’s a little too much...The big thing with Lamar Jackson, we just have to continue to see the passing game grow.”
No. 29: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
Simms: “There’s moments where I go, ‘Wow.’…But I think the big thing is it’s too few and far between with good passing games in the NFL. I understand he hasn’t had the greatest talent around him, but it’s not always about just the numbers and the talent around him. It’s what I see on a weekly basis of missed throws that should be slam dunk completions for an NFL quarterback…I always say he’s an athlete who plays quarterback, instead of a quarterback who’s an athlete.”
No. 28: Case Keenum, Washington Redskins
Simms: “He doesn’t really get the credit he deserves for the talent he has… He could’ve set himself up to be higher in this ranking if it weren’t for last year. Coming off of 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions and being in the NFC Championship Game for the Minnesota Vikings (in 2017), it was special. He did a lot of great things that year.”
No. 27: Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Simms: “I’m still a believer in Jameis Winston. This is one of my hardest rankings in my whole top 40…I look at his ceiling and his ceiling is still much higher than some of the quarterbacks that we’re going to see ahead of him. I just can’t trust him. I haven’t seen enough games of consistent good play.”
No. 26: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Simms: “He’s one of the most forgotten, under-the-radar quarterbacks in all of football. I don’t think he’s as talented as Jameis Winston…but, he’s more trustworthy. There’s a reason that the Cincinnati Bengals went to the playoffs five years in a row…There’s no glaring weakness to his football game…There’s no glaring strength either. That’s my negative about him.”
No. 25: Joe Flacco, Denver Broncos
Simms: “The one thing about Joe Flacco is he’s a more talented player than people have ever given him credit for. I still think he’s got pretty good talent right now. I know it’s not perfect…I think that the Baltimore Ravens were the only team in football that were set up better for Lamar Jackson, that type of quarterback, to be their starting quarterback than a guy like Joe Flacco. Joe has some elite factors in his game. Joe has an elite arm, has elite size.”
No. 24: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Simms: “I already know that there’s a handful of things he does better than most quarterbacks in the NFL…There’s a reason he was the number one pick, it’s because people saw special things…He can be the kind of guy that if we do another list in Week 16 he could be in the Top 10 because he has that kind of talent…Really gifted thrower, really gifted passer, quick release…On the run, some of the things he can do throwing the football, there’s only a few people ever that could do what he can do. I mean ever. It’s up there with (Aaron) Rodgers, (Patrick) Mahomes already for the type of throws he can make on the run.”
No. 23: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Simms: “Another guy like Kyler Murray where I just need to see more, but he has the type of top-end talent to be on that fringe of top-five quarterbacks in football by the end of the year…I’m a believer. I saw enough from him last year to go, ‘There’s some special attributes to his game that have superstar potential.’…There’s some rawness and polish that’s missing from his game…He’s a natural leader. You can tell it by the way he talks to people, the way people gravitate around him.”
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-